Congressional Leaders Announce Deal to Avert Shutdown

Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-N.Y.) and House Speaker Mike Johnson (R-La.) listen during remarks at a Capitol Menorah lighting ceremony at the U.S. Capitol Building in Washington on Dec. 12, 2023. Anna Moneymaker/Getty Images

Months of spending negotiations and continuing resolutions may finally come to an end this week.

In the scramble to avert a government shutdown, congressional leaders say they have struck a deal on appropriations for the Department of Homeland Security (DHS)—the final piece of the appropriations package needed to fund the government through the remainder of fiscal year 2024.

“An agreement has been reached for DHS appropriations, which will allow completion of the FY24 appropriations process,” House Speaker Mike Johnson announced on X, formerly Twitter, on March 19.

“House and Senate committees have begun drafting bill text to be prepared for release and consideration by the full House and Senate as soon as possible.”

Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-N.Y.) and Minority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.) echoed that message in their posts.

The deal was reportedly reached late on March 18 and came just days before the deadline to stave off a shutdown. Members will have until 11:59 p.m. on March 22 to pass the package. However, as House rules require members to have at least 72 hours to review legislation before it is brought up for a vote, they could be cutting it close. The Senate will also have to reach a time agreement on its passage.

“In the next few days, upon completion of the drafting process, Congress will review and consider the appropriations package in order to fund the government and meet the needs of hardworking American taxpayers,” House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries (D-N.Y.) said in a statement.

Congress passed the first half of the required 12 spending bills earlier this month, sidestepping a partial shutdown.

The second minibus encompasses funding for about 70 percent of the government, including the Departments of Defense, Labor, Health and Human Services, Homeland Security, and State, as well as the legislative branch, financial services, and general government.

DHS funding was a sticking point for Republicans, who have been fighting for months to get the Biden administration to move on border policy reforms.

More than 7 million illegal immigrants have crossed the southern border since President Joe Biden took office, creating a crisis that Republicans say he could end at any time but won’t.

As news of a deal spread, members of the staunchly conservative House Freedom Caucus urged their Republican colleagues in a letter to reject any package that funds the “disastrous” immigration policies of the Biden administration.

“At some point, border security has to be more than something aspirational that we simply message on,” reads the letter, led by Freedom Caucus Chair Rep. Bob Good (R-Va.) and Rep. Chip Roy (R-Texas).

“Is there a point at which we will refuse to let this happen on our watch, or is there no threshold of harm to our nation for which we would refuse to fund the government perpetrating the invasion?”

The congressmen said that the soon-to-be-unveiled deal “funds multiple avenues Biden exploits to release millions into America,” but can be checked if Republicans use their power of the purse to force through policy reforms.

President Biden, meanwhile, voiced his support for the deal on the table, stating that he would “sign it immediately” upon passage.

Caden Pearson contributed to this report.